Police: Dog killed, man hurt in pit bull attack in Spring Garden Twp.

A dog was killed and its owner was injured when two pit bulls attacked them in Spring Garden Township on Saturday.

The two attacking pit bulls were taken to the York County SPCA to be euthanized after their owner, Jasmine Alnisa McKinnis, 29, of York City, turned them over voluntarily, according to Spring Garden Township Police.

McKinnis pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts each of the dogs inflicting severe harm to a human without provocation, failure to have her dogs vaccinated for rabies and failure to have the dogs licensed, according to her court records.

Court records do not list an attorney for McKinnis and a listed telephone number for her is no longer in service.

The attack: The 78-year-old man, whose name was not released, was walking his shih-poo near the intersection of Country Club and Wiltshire roads when, about 10:35 a.m., the pit bulls attacked them, police said.

The man attempted to protect his dog but suffered numerous lacerations on his arms and hands and abrasions on his arms and legs, police said.

The shih-poo died from injuries it received and the man was taken to York Hospital for treatment, police said.

A shih-poo is a crossbreed of a poodle and a shih tzu.

Responding officers were able to track down the pit bulls a short distance from where the attack occurred, police said.

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Melissa Smith, the SPCA's executive director, said the pit bulls were euthanized Tuesday at the Manchester Township facility.

Their bodies were then taken to a state laboratory in Harrisburg to undergo rabies testing.

- Reach Greg Gross at ggross@yorkdispatch.com.

When dogs attack

According to the American SPCA, aggression is the most serious problem in dogs. However, would-be victims can keep an eye out for signs that a dog is about to attack or bite.

Dogs that show aggression to people usually exhibits some part of the following signs: